Hawaii Five-0 debuted on CBS, the same network that aired the original version. Like the original version, it follows an elite state police unit/task force set up to fight crime in the state of Hawaii. It premiered on Monday, September 20, 2010, 42 years to the day from the premiere of the original show. On October 21, 2010, CBS announced Hawaii Five-0 had been given a full season order of 24 episodes.[2]

Premise[edit]

The series covers the actions of a small special state task force created by the Governor of Hawaii, Gov. Pat Jameson, to investigate serious crimes throughout the Islands, as Hawaii does not have a conventional state police force. The team is headed by Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett, USNR as it investigates crimes ranging from terrorism to kidnapping. McGarrett chooses as his partner Honolulu PD Detective Danny "Danno" Williams. He fills out the team by selecting Chin Ho Kelly, and Chin's cousin, a rookie HPD cop named Kono Kalakaua. The task force does not follow the normal chain of command and instead reports directly to the Governor's office. One unexplained part of the story concerns the name "Five-0". Taken from a shirt worn by the young Steve McGarrett in a video that the team watches, Kono decides that "Five-0" would be a good name for their task force. It is not explained how everyone (including tourists) seems to know what Five-0 is, despite it being an unofficial name coined in a private meeting,[4][5] although the name appears to have been made official in later episodes. Five-0's headquarters are located in Aliiolani Hale, site of a famous Kamehameha Statue, which features prominently in the series; in real life Aliiolani Hale serves as the central headquarters of the Hawaii State Judiciary and where the Supreme Court of Hawaii regularly convenes.

Each episode typically begins with a crime being committed or a body being discovered, and assignment of the subsequent criminal investigation to the unit by either the governor or their representative. The task force uses the authority of the governor's office to gain access to crime scenes and investigations involving the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) when they cross paths. To assist them in their investigations, the team is granted immunity from prosecution for actions committed in the line of duty, although this immunity is revoked by the lieutenant governor following the governor's assassination.

A major character arc set up in the pilot episode revolves around the murder of McGarrett's father, who was working on a corruption case even after retiring from the HPD. After the terrorist responsible for his father's murder is apprehended, a mysterious figure interrogates him about Steve's investigation into his father's old cases. This figure is later revealed to be Wo Fat, a criminal with ties to the Japanese Yakuza, and is possibly connected to the suspected car-bomb murder of Steve's mother (a death originally ruled an accident). When his father investigated this as the head of the HPD Organized Crime Task Force, he began to dig too far into the corruption, and was forced to abandon the investigation. He nonetheless saved all his evidence in a toolbox, all of which was left to his son in the hope that he would someday conclude his father's work.

Another character arc involves the reasons behind Chin Ho's departure from the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) after being accused of stealing cash from the HPD asset forfeiture locker. McGarrett accepts Chin Ho onto the task force, as he was his father's protégé. As the series progresses, it is revealed that a mole within HPD framed Chin Ho for the theft, and that this mole could have been connected to McGarrett Sr.'s old corruption probe.

In the season one finale, the Five-0 task force is disbanded after McGarrett is arrested for Governor Jameson's murder. In the second season, the new governor, Sam Denning, reinstates the task force after McGarrett is proven innocent; but the team no longer has absolute immunity and must follow the Governor's rules. Governor Denning appoints Lori Weston from the Department of Homeland Security to the Five-0 task force in episode 2 to monitor the team; she resigns after the task force is involved in a diplomatic incident at the Russian consulate.

In season two, Masi Oka's Dr. Max Bergman, M.E. works, more closely than usual, with Five-0 on a case involving a serial murderer who has begun killing again; Max's biological mother was a victim of the killer during his original killing spree. There was a cooling of relations between Danny and his ex-wife Rachel, and by the end of the season Danny was about to fight Rachel and her current husband Stan's plan to take Danny's daughter Grace with them on their move to the mainland. Kono is involved in an undercover assignment, for five episodes, where she appeared to have lost her badge, but was actually working undercover with HPD Internal Affairs Capt. Vincent Fryer, who was investigating a group of former cops engaged in illegal activities. Chin Ho and his former fiancée reunite and marry, with the Five-0 task force and Kamekona as members of their wedding party.

McGarrett continues to try to learn more about the death of his father and the mysterious Shelburne. His former SEAL Commander, Joe White (who was also a friend of McGarrett's father), arrives in the islands and appears to be helping McGarrett at times and getting in his way at others. Wo Fat returns and is involved in a series of murders, including the leader of the Yakuza, Hiro Noshimuri, and is being hunted down by them.

While Steve is in Japan, searching for Shelburne and Joe White, the Hawaii Five-0 team under Danny's control later form a temporary partnership with the NCIS: Los Angeles team to stop a possible smallpox outbreak which begins in the Hawaii Five-0 Season 2 episode, "Pa Make Loa" and later concludes in the NCIS: Los Angeles Season 3 episode, "Touch of Death".

At the end of the season, Joe takes McGarrett to see Shelburne in Japan; Shelburne turns out to be his mother, who was presumed dead for 20 years which leaves Steve stunned.

Alex O'Loughlin as Lieutenant Commander Steven J. "Steve" McGarrett, USNR, a former Navy SEAL with time spent in Office of Naval Intelligence. He is named after his grandfather, a USS Arizonacasualty. McGarrett's father John is murdered in the pilot episode, and this forms the basis for the series' first story arc. Steve McGarrett is both physically and intellectually capable, being able to speak Hawaiian and Chinese fluently while also being able to engage a person in hand-to-hand combat as well as using fieldcraft when needed. McGarrett uses close quarters combat as his primary means of taking down suspects, something he was taught during SEAL training. He is an experienced Navy SEAL, as the governor once outlined his résumé "Annapolis, five years Naval Intelligence, six years with the SEALs. Your superiors say that you are the best they have ever seen." McGarrett uses the same weapons he used as a SEAL including a SIG P226R as his sidearm as well as MP5K and Heckler & Koch MP7 submachine guns, and HK416 rifles. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He served with Sam Hanna, who is now a federal agent with the NCIS Office of Special Projects in Los Angeles.

Scott Caan as Detective Sergeant Daniel "Danny" (or "Danno") Williams, a Honolulu Police Department (HPD) detective, who transferred from the Newark Police Department when his ex-wife, Rachel, moved to Hawaii with their daughter Grace. Williams' "by-the-book" style contrasts with McGarrett's more impulsive "the ends justify the means" approach, and is a source of friction (and banter) between the two. Regarded as a haole for wearing a tie on the island during the first season, Williams is a loyal cop who is married to his job first and life second. As a consequence, he is often at odds with his ex-wife Rachel for sometimes not being on time. He is a loyal cop and friend, once refusing to believe that his former police partner was corrupt even when pitted against overwhelming evidence after the partner was found dead (season 1, episode 8). His pistol is an H&K P30 although he carried a SIG Sauer SP2009 in the pilot. He barely avoided being murdered during a botched drug sting on September 11, 2001, escaping only after the criminals ran off at the sound of sirens thinking the police were coming for them, when in fact they were headed to Manhattan to assist with 9/11.

Daniel Dae Kim as Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, a former member of the HPD (reinstated in the finale of season 1) and protégé of McGarrett's father, who left the force after being falsely accused of corruption. It is later revealed that his uncle, a retired cop, took the money to pay medical bills for his aunt. Despite insistence that he come clean, Kelly is willing to take the blame to prevent his uncle from going to jail. He is eventually cleared of the corruption charges and reinstated to the HPD as a Lieutenant, but returns to the task force. Kelly and McGarrett attended the same high school, with Kelly likely having been a senior when McGarrett was a freshman, based on comments made in several different episodes. Kelly was a standout quarterback on the football team, but McGarrett broke all of his records the following year, when Kelly was training for his HPD career under McGarrett's father. The younger McGarrett was sent off to join the Navy after that football season ended.

Grace Park as Officer Kono Kalakaua, a recent HPD academy graduate and former professional surfer, who is also Chin Ho Kelly's cousin. She is detained and questioned by the HPD, having been accused of stealing $10 million from an HPD asset forfeiture locker. While on suspension, she helps Kelly and Williams go after Wo Fat, who was responsible for framing Steve McGarrett for the murder of the Governor. To the members of the Five-0 task force and to the general public, Kalakaua had been stripped of her badge by the Internal Affairs Department of the HPD, but it was later revealed to be a ploy for her to go undercover to bust a string of dirty ex-cops. She later began a relationship with Hiro Noshimuri's son, Adam. When Adam's brother, Michael, is released from prison, he kills someone with Kono's gun to frame her. She is cleared, but Adam has to kill Michael to protect her and Kono goes into hiding with Adam. At the beginning of Season 5, Adam proposes to Kono.

Masi Oka as Dr. Max Bergman (season 2–present, season one recurring), an American-born Chief Medical Examiner. He also plays the piano and is a science fiction fan. In the season 2 episode Ha'alele, it is revealed that his biological mother was murdered by the notorious "Trashman", a serial killer in Hawaii in the 1980s.

Lauren German as Special Agent Lori Weston (season 2 episodes 2–4 recurring, season 2 episodes 5–16 main[6]), a former Homeland Security (and FBI) profiler assigned by the new governor to monitor the Five-0 and make sure they follow the governor's rules. Weston is forced to resign from Five-0 after an incident involving the Russian consulate in Honolulu.

Michelle Borth as Lieutenant Catherine Rollins, USN (retired), (seasons 3–4, seasons 1–2 recurring), a former intelligence officer on the USS Enterprise who has done three tours in Kabul, an expert in hand-to-hand combat and Steve McGarrett's on-and-off lover, who earlier in season 1-2 (recurring) and 3 (regular) has helped Steve and his team with intel on various cases. In season 3, she started digging for information on Steve's mother, Doris McGarrett, based on his request. In season 4, she was hired by her ex-boyfriend, Billy, after she retired to assist him in his private security firm. At her retirement ceremony, Catherine was awarded her second Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal. In the season 4 episode, Kupu'eu, she and Billy were shot while on a stakeout. Even though she survived her injuries, Billy succumbed to his injuries leaving Catherine devastated. She became a member of Five-0, after the events of season 4 episode 7 in which she discovered intel on the whereabouts of Adam Noshimuri and his supposed captor named Sato. In the season 4 finale, Steve says that her mission to rescue Najib, a member of a family in Afghanistan who saved her life years ago, will prevent her from returning to Hawaii. In season 5, Steve said that Catherine has found Najib, but remains in Afghanistan as a schoolteacher to protect the village from the Taliban, and that she asked him not to wait for her as she had no idea how long she would be there.

Chi McBride as former HPD SWAT Captain Lou Grover, (season 4–present, recurring season 4, 1–9), who has a love/hate relationship with McGarrett after being held at gunpoint along with his SWAT team to free three prisoners in order to rescue Catherine in the season 4 premiere. He is later forced to work with McGarrett on an assignment ordered by Governor Denning to serve a warrant for a computer hacker, where he and McGarrett become friends. He has a wife (portrayed by Michelle Hurd), a daughter, Samantha (portrayed by Paige Hurd), and a son, who moved from Chicago to Hawaii with him to start a new life. His past is revealed in "Pale 'la" ("Buried Secrets") where he blames himself for having failed to save a boy who was taken hostage by his father, which ultimately resulted in a murder-suicide. In the season 4 finale, Grover's actions to rescue his daughter result in forced early retirement from HPD, but also allows McGarrett to recruit him to be part of the Five-0 team, which he accepts.

Jorge Garcia as Jerry Ortega, (season 5–present, season 4, recurring), a conspiracy theorist who regularly assists the Five-0 Task Force with various cases and who once attended high school alongside Chin Ho Kelly.

Recurring cast[edit]

Taylor Wily as Kamekona Tupuola, proprietor of Waiola Shave Ice, Kamekona's shrimp truck and helicopter tours. He is a confidential informant. His late cousin, Thomas Hoapili, was a master of Kapu Kuʻialua, an ancient Hawaiian martial art, as is Thomas's daughter, Maggie (portrayed by Summer Glau).

Mark Dacascos as Wo Fat, a crime lord and mastermind with ties to the Yakuza, arms merchants, terrorists, even high-ranking government officials, and possibly behind the murder of McGarrett's father. He is also responsible for setting up Steve McGarrett for the assassination of Governor Pat Jameson, and ordering Victor Hesse to kill McGarrett to prevent him from investigating further, before murdering Hesse himself. He is later arrested by McGarrett in "Ua Hopu" and is eventually transported to a federal prison in Colorado. He escapes in the season 4 finale and returns to Hawaii. In "Ina Paha" (the 100th episode), Wo Fat is killed by Steve.

James Marsters as Victor Hesse, an international arms dealer, the murderer of McGarrett's father, and an associate of Wo Fat. He is killed by Wo Fat in Halawa Correctional Facility, but not before assisting Steve McGarrett and his team.

Will Yun Lee as Sang Min, a Snakehead busted by Five-0, and later used by the team as a source of criminal intelligence. He later escapes from prison.

Teilor Grubbs as Grace Williams, Danny's daughter. She is named after Danny's former partner, who was murdered during a botched drug bust in New York City on September 11, 2001.[7]

William Sadler as John McGarrett, retired HPD Sergeant, (presumed) widow of Doris McGarrett and father of Steve and Mary McGarrett. He was murdered on September 20, 2010 by Victor Hesse, which in turn led to the creation of the Five-0 Task Force. He is a Vietnam War veteran; he reached the rank of Lieutenant in the Navy before joining the Honolulu Police Department after the war. He was Chin Ho Kelly's training officer during his rookie years on the force. His own father, Ensign Steve McGarrett, was killed in action on the U.S.S. Arizona (BB-39) during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Dennis Chun as Sgt. Duke Lukela, HPD officer who often acts as a liaison to Five-0. In "Hookman", he was shot by Curt Stoner (Peter Weller), but survived and recovered. His father, Kam Fong Chun, played Chin Ho Kelly on the original Hawaii Five-O.

Taryn Manning as Mary Ann McGarrett, Steve's ne'er-do-well sister. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her adopted daughter, whom she named Joan after her father.

Terry O'Quinn as Lieutenant Commander Joe White, USN, Steve McGarrett's mentor and Navy SEAL instructor who rose up through the enlisted ranks before earning his commission. He comes to Hawaii in "Ha'i'ole" at the request of Danny Williams to help clear Steve's name after he is framed by Wo Fat for the murder of Governor Pat Jameson, but was first mentioned in "Ho'apono" as Master Chief White, the SEAL instructor of both McGarrett and Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Graham Wilson (Adam Beach). He is discharged from the Navy with full pension after rescuing Steve in an illegal operation, and has secrets of his own. He was close friends with John McGarrett.

Larisa Oleynik as ex-CIA analyst Jenna Kaye, assistant to Five-0. She is later revealed to have an association with Wo Fat. At the end of "Ha'i'ole", she is seen driving Wo Fat away after he murdered Victor Hesse. She leaves to follow up on a lead that her fiancée, Josh, whom she claimed had been killed by Wo Fat, might in fact be alive and asks Steve to go with her to North Korea to get him. It turns out to be a trap for McGarrett, from Wo Fat telling Jenna he would release Josh if she brought him McGarrett, explaining her association with him. Jenna later discovers that Josh had been dead the entire time and that it was also a trap for her. She is able to tell McGarrett she is sorry for setting him up, and gives him a pin from Josh's leg to help him escape, moments before Wo Fat shoots and kills her (season 2, episode 10).

Ian Anthony Dale as Adam Noshimuri, Kono's boyfriend who becomes a new head of the Japanese Yakuza after Wo Fat murders his father, Hiro. He has been trying to legitimize and clean up his organization. After killing his brother Michael to protect Kono, he and Kono leave Hawaii and go into hiding. He comes out of hiding after his brother's loyalists are no longer a threat. At the beginning of Season 5, Adam proposes to Kono.

Daniel Henney as Michael Noshimuri, Adam's brother who was released from prison during season three, and appears apprehensive about any plans to remake the Yakuza. He attempted to frame Kono for a murder he committed. In the season 3 finale he was killed by his brother Adam.

Jean Smart as Governor Pat Jameson who forms the Hawaii Five-0 task force and who is later revealed to be in league with Wo Fat. She is assassinated by Wo Fat at the end of the first season. He frames McGarrett for Jameson's death.

Larry Manetti as Nicky 'The Kid' Demarco, a local legendary lounge performer, with many 'contacts' due to his longtime residency.

Kelly Hu as Laura Hills, Gov. Jameson's public safety liaison, killed by a car bomb at the end of first season.

Richard T. Jones as Gov. Sam Denning, who stepped up from Lieutenant Governor and replaced Gov. Jameson following her assassination at the hands of Wo Fat.

Tom Sizemore as Vince Fryer, a HPD internal affairs captain from Detroit who ostensibly has Kono terminated from the unit, but really has her working a case for him. Kono is shot during Fryer's case, which leads to her being revealed as Fryer's undercover officer. McGarrett quickly disapproves of Fryer and his tactics. He is later promoted to Chief of Detectives in "Alaheo Pau'ole", but is killed in season two finale by a female assassin working for Frank Delano, a dirty cop who was stripped of his badge and Fryer's former partner.

Reiko Aylesworth as Malia Waincroft, Chin Ho's wife. She marries Kelly in the episode "Alaheo Pauʻole", but dies in "La O Na Makuahine", the third season premiere episode, from injuries sustained after she was shot, leaving Chin devastated. She had a brother named Gabriel Waincroft who was responsible for the murder of Chin's father 15 years earlier.

Brian Yang as forensic scientist Charlie Fong, who often analyzes evidence for Five-0, and was a childhood friend of Kono's.

Al Harrington as Mamo Kahike, owner of a surf rental stand at Waikiki Beach, and a longtime friend of the McGarrett family. He played Det. Ben Kokua on the original Hawaii Five-O.

Martin Starr as Adam "Toast" Charles, a computer expert who assisted Five-0 on a couple of cases.

Christine Lahti as Doris McGarrett, Steve's mother and former CIA officer who was believed to have died, but was later reunited with Steve and Mary. She often does not tell the full story when Steve asks questions, leading him to believe she is hiding something.

Production[edit]

History[edit]

The idea to bring Hawaii Five-O back to television had been under consideration well before the 2010 version was announced. The first attempt was a one-hour pilot for a new series that was made in 1996 but never aired, although a few clips were found years later and are available online. Produced and written by Stephen J. Cannell, it was intended to star Gary Busey and Russell Wong as the new Five-0 team. Original cast member James MacArthur briefly returned as Dan Williams, this time as governor of Hawaii, with cameos made by other former Five-O regulars. Another attempt was made to turn the project into a film by Warner Bros. but that also was scrapped.[13]

On August 12, 2008, CBS announced that it would bring Hawaii Five-O back to the network schedule for the 2009–2010 television season. The new version would be an updated present-day sequel, this time centering around Steve McGarrett, who succeeds his late father Steve (Jack Lord's character in the original series) as the head of the unit. Edward Allen Bernero, executive producer and showrunner of Criminal Minds, was to helm the new take, which he described as "Hawaii Five-O, version 2.0". It was also to incorporate most of the iconic elements from the original, including the "Book 'em, Danno" catchphrase, into the remake. Bernero, who was a fan of the original, and had a ring tone of the series' theme song on his cell phone, had always wanted to bring the series back to TV.[14] This version did not go beyond the script stage.

In October 2009, it was announced that Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci had signed on to script a pilot episode, and that Peter M. Lenkov would serve as the series showrunner.[15] Kurtzman and Orci decided to reboot the original concept similar to their work on the 2009 Star Trek film, rather than a sequel to the original series. Production on the pilot was shot in and around Honolulu from February to April 2010.

On May 17, 2010, the Hawaii Five-O remake was picked up by CBS, which scheduled it for Monday nights in the 10–11 pm timeslot.[16][17] The news was good for the state of Hawaii, which hopes that the remake will pump new life into the economy. Production of the remainder of the first season started in June 2010.[18][19] On June 24, 2010, the producers announced that it will use the warehouse at the former Honolulu Advertiser building as the official soundstage studio for the series starting in July 2010.[20] Exteriors representing Five-0 headquarters in the series are located at the Judiciary History Center of the Supreme Court Building in Honolulu, directly across the street from Iolani Palace, which represented Five-O headquarters in the original series.

This revival series uses a zero as the last character in its title instead of the letter "O" that is used in the title of the original series. According to The Los Angeles Times, a CBS insider said that the disambiguation was necessary because of search engine results.[21] When Variety conducted its own search engine test on Google, it found that "Hawaii Five-0" (with the zero) had 263,000 results while "Hawaii Five-O" (with the letter O) had over 1.7 million.[22]

On August 18, 2011, CBS announced that Hawaii Five-0 would cross over with NCIS: Los Angeles by having Daniela Ruah guest star as Kensi Blye from the latter series.[23] The crossover aired on October 24, 2011, in episode 6 of season 2. A two-part crossover was aired on the April 30, 2012 episode of Hawaii Five-0 and the May 1, 2012 episode of NCIS: Los Angeles, with two characters from each show visiting the other (Callen and Hanna from NCIS: Los Angeles and Danny and Chin Ho from Five-0).

Casting[edit]

In February 2010, it was announced that Daniel Dae Kim had been cast to play Chin Ho Kelly, an ex-cop trained by Steve McGarrett's father. He was the first actor cast for the remake.[26] Several days later, Alex O'Loughlin was cast as Steve McGarrett,[27] the son of ex-cop John McGarrett (portrayed by William Sadler). The producers pay homage to the original series throughout the first year, by making one of Steve's hobbies restoring his father's 1974 Mercury Marquis, which is in fact the actual car driven by Jack Lord in the latter half of the original series' run.[28] Actress Grace Park was later cast as rookie detective Kona "Kono" Kalakaua,[29] and Scott Caan was cast as Danny "Danno" Williams. In the recurring cast are Jean Smart as Governor Pat Jameson and Masi Oka as the medical examiner Max Bergman. Oka was upgraded to series regular for the second season.[30]

Of note, several recurring roles have been filled by surviving members of the original cast. Al Harrington, who played Det. Ben Kokua in the original series, now plays a friend of McGarrett's, Mamo Kahike.[31] Dennis Chun, who had various guest roles in the original series and is the son of Kam Fong Chun (the actor that portrayed the original Chin Ho), has a recurring role as HPD Sgt. Duke Lukela in the remake.[32]James MacArthur, the last surviving main cast member from the original series, agreed to guest star in a first season episode; however, he died on October 28, 2010, before filming his appearance.[33]

Larisa Oleynik was cast as Jessica Kaye[34] (changed to Jenna Kaye in the episode broadcast),[35] scheduled to join the Five-0 task force in the show's 19th episode.[36] Oleynik appeared on a recurring basis for the remainder of the 2010–11 season, with an option to become a regular in season 2;[37] however, her character was killed off in season 2, episode 10. It was also announced that Terry O'Quinn would be joining the cast of the show in season two,[38] along with Lauren German, who would play Lori Weston, a former Homeland Security (and FBI agent) official assigned by the new governor to keep an eye on the team.[39]

For season three, Christine Lahti has been cast in a recurring role as Doris McGarrett, the thought-to-be-deceased mother of Steve McGarrett.[40] Also, Michelle Borth who plays Lt. Catherine Rollins became a main cast member for season 3.

After appearing as a guest star in several season four episodes, Jorge Garcia who plays the character of Jerry Ortega (a conspiracy theorist and high school classmate of Chin's) was promoted to series regular commencing season five.[41]

Music[edit]

Hawaii Five-0 uses the original show theme song composed by Morton Stevens. Critics received an early copy of the pilot with a synthesizer and guitar-based version of the theme. After negative reaction to the reworked song spread quickly online, Kurtzman said he and others realized that changing the music was a mistake, and arranged for studio musicians,[42] including three who had worked on the original from 1968,[43] to rerecord the theme "exactly as it was", except shortened to 30 seconds[42] from its original length of about 60 seconds.[44] Original instrumental music is composed by Brian Tyler and Keith Power.[45]

Soundtrack[edit]

Hawaii Five-0: Original Songs from the Television Series is a soundtrack album featuring music used in the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0. The first volume in the series received attention for how show producers integrated these new and previously unreleased tracks from major-name artists into the second season episodes. This method contrasted with the norm for TV soundtracks, which tend to be compilations of previously released music that is already available individually or on other albums. Hawaii Five-0: Original Songs from the Television Series was released on October 4, 2011.[46]

Reception and impact[edit]

Critical reception[edit]

The show has received mostly positive reviews. Metacritic gave season 1 of the show a 65 out of 100 aggregate score based on reviews from 22 critics.[2]Rotten Tomatoes gave season 1 a score of 74% based on 23 reviews. The site's consensus calls it: "A brisk, slick reboot of an old favorite, Hawaii Five-0's picturesque locales and attractive cast make for pleasurable viewing."[51]

On May 19, 2010, The Honolulu Advertiser offered an opinion about the new version: "A smart script, slick production values and maybe a splash of nostalgia got the remake of Hawaii Five-O placed on the CBS prime-time lineup this fall, but it will take more than beefcake and a remixed theme song to keep the show on the air." The piece also pointed out that times have changed since the original left the air, citing other shows that were set in Hawaii which have come and gone. It expressed a hope that the producers will succeed in bringing a new life to the title with this remake.[52] The show also has a large, hugely devoted fanbase, often called an "ohana".[citation needed]

Hawaii Five-0 was also in the Guinness World Records 2012 for Highest-Rated New Show in the U.S. with a record 19.34 million viewers for its January 23, 2011 episode (Kai eʻe).[53]

The "Five-0 Effect"[edit]

Hawaii Five-0 made several positive effects on the state's economy since it began airing. Known as the "Five-0 Effect" by Hawaii News Now reporter Steve Uyehara, various Hawaii-based businesses saw an increase in sales after they were featured in episodes of the show. Visitor numbers to the USS Missouri Memorial Association, after being featured in some of the episodes, increased 25 percent, helping the site achieve a record year in 2010. Waiola Shave Ice, the business run by Kamekona on the show, saw a 20 percent increase in shave ice sales, along with a 30 percent rise in t-shirt sales. Kona Brewing Company also saw a 60 percent increase in sales after their beers were featured as McGarrett's favored alcoholic beverage in several episodes. In addition, residents from other states visit Hawaii based on viewing the series.[66]

Syndication[edit]

TNT has acquired the off network rights to air the series. Episodes began airing on the cable channel in August 2013.[67]